Photo by Coldiretti Lombardy on the occasion of World Bee Day: Our province and that of Como are in difficulty due to the cold that has hit the Alpine region
VARESE – “The crazy climate with sudden changes from drought to storms and from heat to cold, not forgetting the late frosts, is detrimental to spring honey collections in Lombardy where there are about 160,000 beehives, according to data from the livestock register.” That’s what you say Coldirity Territorial from the initial observation on the territory marking World Bee Day which is celebrated today. In the province of Cremona, Coldiretti Lombardy specifies that dandelion and cherry trees, typical in spring, have reduced flowering due to low temperatures, wind and drought, while in the Mantua region, the collection of acacia honey has been hampered by heavy rains. recent weeks.
Between Como and Varese, the cold that hit the Alpine region worsened the acacia harvest, already made difficult by the rains.. A similar situation in Brianza where, in addition to the rains, the low temperatures of recent weeks have negatively affected the flowers of acacias. Rain and hail cut off the spring honey harvest in the provinces of Milan and Bergamo. In the province of Brescia drought first, then rains that arrived at the time of flowering
They reduced collection of dandelions, spring wildflowers, and acacia honey. The beekeepers are confident that the weather will settle in time for the next blooms, starting with linden and chestnut. Already in the past year, continues Coldiretti, Italy has claimed almost 1 jar of honey out of 4 (23%) compared to just over a decade ago. The decline in production left room for imports from abroad which grew +12% nationally in 2022, also coming from countries that do not always shine in terms of transparency and food safety.
It is no coincidence, stresses Coldiretti, that among honey samples imported into the EU between 2021 and 2022, nearly 1 in 2 (46%) are suspected of adulteration, according to a survey ‘from the hives’ of the centre. Subscriber to Research (Ccr) from the European Commission. China had the highest absolute number (74%), Turkey had the highest relative percentage of suspicious samples (93%) and the UK had the highest rate of suspicious samples (100%). other countries and mixed further before being reintroduced to Europe. An “alarming” scenario, Coldiretti highlights that Italy imported more than 26.5 million kilograms of honey from abroad in 2022, with arrivals from Turkey increasing by +146%, from China by +66%, and from Romania by +134% And from Ukraine. by +83%. For this reason, he mobilized the youth of Coldiretti from north to south of the peninsula with the campaign “God save the bees – fewer bees, less future” in support of #Italianhoney, raising awareness of figures from politics, culture and sport. and entertainment.
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